Fatal Trouble | Y.Jw

| 18 |

The sun had been down for hours when Jungwon locked himself into the police station just after midnight. He had forgotten a few files earlier in the day before he went home to stare at his noticeboard for hours on end before reminding himself he probably should get some dinner. His dinner hanging and turning cold in a plastic bag from his hand. 

The station was completely silent as he moved into the offices and started rushing towards his own makeshift desk that had been set up. Jungwon had only just picked up the files before something in the office shuffled.

"Hello?" Jungwon called out with a small frown on his face once he straightened up again and stared about.

When no answer came he simply started wandering down through the different desks, eventually ending by one that looked fairly messy. Either that or it was simply the fact that a head of dark hair looked to have fallen asleep on it.

"Miss Young?" Jungwon frowned and the figure stirred slightly, first showing signs of waking up when he had grabbed a piece of hair from the face to confirm his suspicion, "What in the world are you doing here? You don't have work for a long time yet, do you?"

"Child custody case, Wednesday," Jiyeon murmured absentmindedly and turned her head the other way.

"Okay... still..." Jungwon trailed off, "The station is closed... why are you sleeping on a desk here? Are you drunk?"

"No," she shortly replied, "Officer Cho is in my apartment."

"Why?" Jungwon questioned finally having Jiyeon sit up and stare at him with tired eyes, "what are you hiding that could be interesting to him?"

"Pine tree on my door," Jiyeon murmured and Jungwon immediately pursed his lips as he stared down at her, "I'm not gonna sleep there tonight... it'll probably be fine tomorrow."

"You can't sleep here," Jungwon remarked and Jiyeon frowned over towards a clock on the wall.

"I've been sleeping for three hours. What are you trying to get at?" Jiyeon murmured in confusion.

"Come on... if anything you can sleep in my armchair. Your back is gonna resent you for a lifetime if you continue to sleep on that desk," Jungwon urged and Jiyeon just stared up at him, "come on... if anything you're more safe in my apartment than here."

"How-"

"Whoever painted that pine tree knows you have a connection to the case and thereby the police station. Do you need to know who I am? Not exactly," Jungwon shrugged and looked down at her again, "now come on."

Jiyeon stared up at him before eventually sighing and throwing her bag over her shoulder and getting up on her feet. Quietly she followed Jungwon out of the police station and watched as he locked the door - tugging her coat tighter around herself as he did.

"Are you alright then?" Jungwon questioned once he turned around, noticing she was far closer than he had noticed.

"Yeah..." she whispered with a small nod.

"Not sick either?" Jungwon continued and she shook her head quietly.

"How's your deduction going?" Jiyeon murmured as they started wandering along the street.

"I think I'll know who's hiring the murders in the morning," Jungwon shrugged and glanced over at Jiyeon, "I'm pretty sure someone is hiring multiple people to do the murders... or blackmailing them... I'm not sure yet. That I will know when I get the person who's been hiring."

"Are you sure it's someone hiring though?" Jiyeon murmured and Jungwon hummed with a small nod.

Most of their walk was in utter silence, Jungwon patiently waiting to continue any conversation until they were up in the apartment. Jiyeon decided that maybe silence was just best in that moment - after all he didn't seem like he wanted to talk or anything.

"If you'd like I can change the bedding for you in the bedroom... I'm sure the bed is far more comfortable than that chair," Jungwon remarked as he locked the door to his apartment, having let Jiyeon into the warmth before him.

"Oh no no no. No," Jiyeon sternly finished as she abruptly turned and looked at Jungwon, "I can't possibl-"

"I'll be working most of the night, Miss Young. It's fine," Jungwon assured and Jiyeon quickly shook her head, getting out of her shoes and coat before rushing in and sitting in the armchair.

"If you want me to sleep in that bed, you'll have to physically move me," Jiyeon declared and plopped her bag down beside the chair, her book sliding out partially.

"Alright... suit yourself," Jungwon murmured as Jiyeon curled herself up in the armchair and watched in silence.

Jungwon only sent her a glance before wandering over and dumping his files on the round table in the middle of the room, starting to sort through his papers and pictures.

"What are you reading for book club?" Jungwon questioned.

"Hm?" Jiyeon hummed and opened her eyes after having drifted off slightly, "some exposé on a prior mayor in the next town over. Quite interesting actually. Not published yet. The author was a previous member of the book club and we're beta-readers... it's quite good... I'm already sixteen chapters ahead... mmmm-I think I might write a project on it, quite interesting actually," Jiyeon murmured and rubbed her forehead.

"Exposé?" Jungwon hummed, glancing up from his papers.

"Shady business and stuff," Jiyeon waved it off, "not paying workers hired by the mayor's office and speculations on assassinations... I don't believe the last one that much... all of the people they say were assassinated died of heart attacks, so obviously natural."

"Heart attacks?" Jungwon murmured and Jiyeon hummed before leaning further back in the armchair, "heart attacks..."

Abruptly Jungwon turned and looked over his noticeboard that slowly had been filled up with more and more documents. A small grin slowly spread on his face.

"Who's the auth-" Jungwon started and turned around only to the sight of Jiyeon sleeping soundly in the armchair, "brilliant... you're brilliant Jiyeon..."

Quickly Jungwon rushed into the bedroom, repeating to himself how brilliant she was. He first returned when he had a blanket, carefully draping it over Jiyeon before bending down and picking up her book and noting down the name of the author.

"Ugh! Brilliant!" Jungwon murmured to himself in excitement and quickly started pining things up on the notice board and connecting things with the bright red string he had bought down in some small hobby shop once he had run out of his previous string.

Slowly things started to make sense in his head. Now he knew who was hiring the murders, he just needed to get ahold of him and prove he was behind it.

"Of course, it had to be the book club... of course," Jungwon murmured and rushed over to the endless pages of previous members in the book club, which he had pinned up.

One of the lists had blown a bit to the side and reminded Jungwon of the picture he had pinned up under one of the lists. The thread connecting it to the case defined the picture as the next victim.

Jiyeon clearly wasn't aware that a picture was being taken of her on the picture. She was simply sitting in class and taking notes, deeply concentrated. On the picture, no one had written 'two weeks' on her desk. By now it was only a week.

Jungwon pursed his lips as he stared at the picture, eventually glancing over his shoulder and looking at the next victim sleeping soundly in his armchair.

He had a week to find the mayor the exposé was written about.